GeschlechtvsGeschlechtesWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“Geschlecht” and “Geschlechtes” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#3,192
“Geschlecht” frequency rank
#43,217
“Geschlechtes” frequency rank
46409
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Geschlecht Geschlechtes
Definition die Eigenschaft höherer Lebewesen, männlich oder weiblich zu sein (einschließlich Misch- oder Zwischenformen) Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Geschlecht

Where the eye mixes Geschlecht and Geschlechtes

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. Geschlecht runs 10 letters (CVCCCCVCCC) against Geschlechtes's 12 (CVCCCCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
Geschlecht
12 ch
Geschlechtes

Why the eye confuses Geschlecht with Geschlechtes

A purely visual mix-up. Geschlecht ([ɡəˈʃlɛçt]) and Geschlechtes ([ɡəˈʃlɛçtəs]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Geschlecht” sits inside “Geschlechtes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46409, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Geschlecht is recorded at frequency rank #3,192, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈʃlɛçt]. Geschlechtes is at rank #43,217, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈʃlɛçtəs].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 46409, this pair ranks #1,320,116 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Geschlecht vs Geschlechtes

Shared letters: ceghlst. Private to "Geschlecht": -. Private to "Geschlechtes": -.

"Geschlecht" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCC  ·  "Geschlechtes" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Geschlecht ← egschlecht · gecshlecht · gescchlecht · geschelcht · geschhlecht · geschlceht · geschleccht · geschlechht
  • Geschlechtes ← egschlechtes · gecshlechtes · gescchlechtes · geschelchtes · geschhlechtes · geschlcehtes · geschlecchtes · geschlechets

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Geschlecht" and "Geschlechtes" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈʃlɛçt] versus [ɡəˈʃlɛçtəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Geschlecht" or "Geschlechtes"?
"Geschlecht" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,192 in our German list, against #43,217 for "Geschlechtes". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Geschlecht" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Geschlechtes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,320,116 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Geschlecht" and "Geschlechtes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "geschlachtet vs Geschlechtes". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,320,116 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list